Stefanos Tsitsipas wins third title at Monte Carlo Masters

Stefanos Tsitsipas won his third Rolex Monte Carlo Masters in four years on Sunday, defeating Casper Ruud 6-1, 6-4 in Monaco.

Tsitsipas, the No. 12 seed, was aggressive early on and changed the tenor of the match in the third game of the first set, when he reeled off the first of seven straight game wins. Tsitsipas was helped in the one-hour, 37-minute match by four break points; he saved all eight break chances against him.

He had 23 winners and 12 unforced errors, compared to 17 and 16, respectively, for Ruud, the No. 8 seed.

The win was the 11th on tour for Tsitsipas.

The last year was rough for the 25-year-old Tsitsipas, from Greece, who was ranked No. 3 in the world in January 2023 but plummeted to No. 12. He is set to return to the top 10 at No. 7 when the new rankings are released.

"It has been very difficult, so to be back on the podiums, winning tournaments just feels amazing," Tsitsipas said. "I am extremely grateful for every person behind this journey. The third time is even more special than the first or second time. This is an unbelievable win for me. Capturing that win today was nerve-wracking. I really wanted this trinity. I am extremely happy today."

Tsitsipas defeated three top-10 players -- Norway's Ruud, Alexander Zverev of Germany and Italian Jannik Sinner -- on his way to the championship.

"I had to go out there and show my tennis as I promised every single one of them [his team] I will make the most out of it," Tsitsipas said. "I am glad I presented on court and showed some ruthless tennis. From the beginning to the end my play was cohesive and I was able to blend in a lot of different shots."

Tsitsipas joins Thomas Muster, Bjorn Borg and Ilie Nastase as the only players to win exactly three tournament titles in Monaco. Rafael Nadal has a whopping 11 victories in Monte Carlo but withdrew this year as his body continues to recover from injury.

Tsitsipas and Ruud, 25, each have two wins in their four head-to-head matches.